Completely Forgiven!
And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.
Colossians 2:13-14
As someone who does a lot of counseling, I can testify to the number of women who choose to remember what God has already forgotten. And if that struggle is not burdensome enough, add the extra weight of the lie that they must forgive themselves. Complete forgiveness is one that is simply received as we believe and trust in Christ.
What makes us think that somehow we have the power to forgive ourselves?
Where is the biblical support for that?
This idea of self-forgiveness only demeans what Christ has accomplished on the cross!
For this reason and others, we must fully understand and embrace that we have been completely forgiven! And to do that we must deeply ponder the attributes of God that are demonstrated as He offers us a life of complete forgiveness.
Romans 3:24-25 teaches us that we have been justified freely by His grace. Justify is a legal term meaning to declare righteous. God justifies us freely by His grace, His unmerited favor. God would not declare us as righteous without first dealing with our sin. But He sent His Son and our redemption came through the blood of Christ. God’s forgiveness is gracious and kind and full of love. This is beautifully written in Titus 3:4-7:
But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
God’s unmerited favor, His grace, is the gift that keeps on giving. We discover this in Ephesians 1:7:
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace
You will never know how much forgiveness you have, because you will never be able to figure out how much are the riches of His grace. Where sin abounds, grace abounds more. So when we blow it and we certainly do, there is always more grace.
God not only forgives, but He is eager and ready to forgive, which the attribute of His perfect goodness demonstrates.
Psalm 86:5 proves this
For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.
We learn in 2 Corinthians 5:19 that God’s heart is one of reconciliation.
That is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
God has now revealed His heart and the Word of reconciliation to us that we might share with others the offer of complete forgiveness!!!
And if all of God’s love, kindness, grace and goodness is not enough consider Colossians 2:13 and the truth that He wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, taking it out of the way and nailing it to the cross. This means literally, that He wiped it off, like erasing a blackboard. The day you gave your life to Christ, He completely erased your sin! God sent His Son, nailed your sin to the cross, you confessed your faith in Christ and He erased it!
How can we but walk and live any other way than knowing, believing and embracing the truth that we are completely forgiven. Also, appreciating with great joy and gratitude that we are completely forgiven, makes forgiving others a no brainer — how could we hold anything against anyone else?
And be kind to one another, tenderhearted,
forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.
Ephesians 4:32
My sisters may you walk in victory today simply believing the truth that you are completely forgiven!